A Natural(ish) Parenting & Food Blog

Southern comfort and a GIVEAWAY!!

Before you find about about the giveaway, of course, you get to hear about the yummy lunch I cooked heated.

This lunch was inspired by the south because (1) I wish the weather here were warmer, (2) I love country music and that’s something southern, too, and (3) I’m temporarily (I hope) an invalid and happened to have some frozen and canned ingredients on hand that fit this theme brilliantly.

That’s right, collard greens, baked beans, and cornbread!! YUM 😀

I made and froze these sweet collard greens a few weeks ago (remember when I brought home those huge bags of them from the food pantry overflow at work?) using Kath’s recipe here.

Seriously delicious. If you ever find yourself with collard greens on your hands, this is the way to cook them!

I also rummaged around and found this can of fat free vegetarian baked beans in the cupboard that didn’t really seem to belong to anyone. Since it didn’t belong to anyone, it belonged to me:

And on the side, I had 1/2 piece of the cornbread that I brought home and froze after dinner at BBQ two weeks ago:

Perfect! I felt like I was in Arkansas or somewhere while I was eating this 😛

Earlier, I snacked on two biscotti bites (and a piece of oatmeal chocolate chip cookie that “broke off” when I was rummaging through the freezer cookie bag for the bites) with this delicious Tazo tea sample I had lying around:

Normally, I’m not into fruit teas … but something about the lemony-mango-ness of this tea reeled me in, and I loved it. It would be amazing in oatmeal, I’m sure. Look at the gorgeous color!

OK OK, I suppose it’s time. You all know how I LOVE my whole grains (case in point: this morning’s protein porridge). Well, Bob’s Red Mill, home of what is probably the most extensive selection of whole grains/seeds/nuts/beans/baking mixes/flours ever, has generously offered to send FIVE lucky readers a full package of the food item of their choice (from the list of categories I just mentioned). This is a very exciting giveaway because it means you could pick out a familiar staple (such as oats) to replenish your supply … or you could go totally wild and experiment with something new (my suggestion) like whole grain chocolate cake mix or organic amaranth grain.

How to enter:

Step 1. Visit the Bob’s Red Mill website and select the one food product you would most like to try (again, from the list of categories I mentioned above).

Step 2. Leave me a comment with your selection!

Step 3. Link back to this contest on your blog to help me spread the word! If you like me, you can also add me to your blogroll, but this is not mandatory as that is a very personal decision 😛 If you don’t have a blog,email me at talesofexpansion@gmail.com after you leave your comment to let me know this is the case and that you still want to enter.

Step 4. I will randomly choose the five winners Sunday, April 5, so you have until NOON on that day to enter.

While you’re busy contemplating your next whole grain experiment, I will be at my doctor’s office. I’m so relieved I was able to get an appointment this afternoon — hopefully I can make it there without getting stuck on the subway steps … and hopefully the injury is just a simple muscle issue that will fix itself with rest. Eeek!

I would say the Whole Wheat Pastry flour – I’ve wanted to recreate an apple torte I saw on Barefoot Contessa and have been trying to figure out how to make it more figure friendly, and this may do the trick!

yum cornbread! i wonder if anyone has ever tried to make a nonfat cornbread with yogurt. i saw a recipe once. i guess i’ll be the guinea pig! i would like to try the muesli, hot groats, hot buckwheat, no fat granola! =D btw your email you sent me- i got it! and it MADE MY DAY!

I LOVE TAZO PASSION TEA! I fell in love with it when i first had it as iced tea, but now i drink it hot. isnt the color just great? the red is so vibrant and so is the smell. im glad to see you liked it too.

im really excited for your giveaway. i just started blogging and this is the first giveaway ive entered because im really excited about the product. i would love to try the apples, cinnamon & grains cereal. that would totally make my morning. thanks for the giveaway chance. btw check out my page at eatsleeprunwhenever.blogspot.com, where i mentioned you in my last blog 🙂

what an awesome giveaway! im just catching up now but glad i can still enter 🙂 id love to try the steel cut oats simple because can you believe i’ve NEVER tried the real kind? i’ve had the instant steel-cut oats (made by mccann’s)…

i will link to you tonight and of course i have to check my blogroll b/c i havent updated it in FOREVER!!

Oh man, quite the giveaway! I would totally like to try a cake/pancake mix. LOVE me the BRM products! Obvi you’re already on my blogroll (can I have an extra entry anyway? haha), but I will link back latah. 🙂

i’d love to try their gluten-free products since i have a sensitive stomach! the gluten free homemade wonderful bread looks perfect – i’ve been wanting to make my own bread but don’t have a bread machine.

Wooooo I LOVE Bob’s Red Mill. The grocery store near my house only sells a very limited selection, so I’d love the chance to try something new! Probably the Whole Hull-less Barley or the Organic Kamut Berries. Or the wheatberries, for that matter, since I can’t seem to find those anywhere.

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